The year 2010 in archaeology Excavations March 26: Archaeologists begin excavations at the site of William Shakespeare's last home, New Place in Stratford-upon-Avon (continuing in 2011). April 2: Teams of anthropologists and archaeologists begin searching the Fresh Kills Landfill on Staten Island for human remains of victims of the September 11 attacks in 2001. Over 30 fragments of human remains are subsequently identified. May: Rescue excavations at the Buddhist site of Mes Aynak in Afghanistan begin (continuing until July 2011). Excavations of the Roman site at Bloomberg London begin, continuing until 2013 and including discovery of the Bloomberg tablets. Finds April 9: In England, metal detectorist Dave Crisp discovers the Frome Hoard, 52,503 Roman coins dating to the period 253 to 305, one of the largest hoards ever found in Britain. May A fragment of a clay tablet is discovered in the Ophel section of the City of David in Jerusalem. The fragment, with a surface of , is the oldest piece of writing from Jerusalem yet discovered, dating back to the 14th century BC. The high quality of the Akkadian writing indicates that it was engraved by a royal scribe and speaks to the importance of Jerusalem as a political center in that era. In Cumbria, England, a metal detectorist discovers an almost complete Roman cavalry helmet. June Skeletons featuring marks that could have resulted from a violent death are uncovered during an ongoing investigation in Driffield Terrace near the centre of York in England. Archaeologists believe the cemetery to be that of gladiators. Bite marks on one skeleton suggest that the gladiator was bitten by a large carnivore which would be consistent with gladiatorial battles in Ancient Rome. The Areni-1 shoe, the world's oldest leather shoe is found in a cave in the Vayots Dzor Province of Armenia. The 5,500-year-old shoe dates back to approximately 3,500 BC and is in excellent condition, due in large part to being buried under a pile of sheep dung. Vatican officials announce that the earliest-known icons of the Apostles Peter and Paul have been discovered in the catacombs of an eight-story office building in Rome. The images date to the second half of the 4th century and are believed to decorate the tomb of a Roman noblewoman. The tomb also houses the oldest known images of the Apostles John and Andrew. July Egyptian archaeologists unveil a recently discovered double-tomb in Saqqara. The